


if happy ever after did exist

by slytherinschaser



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Co-workers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Exes, Jealousy, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23464321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherinschaser/pseuds/slytherinschaser
Summary: 4 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione is trying to get over a relationship that was meant to just be a fun secret. But of course, it's not that easy especially when there's no way to really avoid him, what with being coworkers and also her friends are his friends.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	1. tequila

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoy this fic. Bear with me, this is only like the second fic I've written in the past decade but thanks for reading!

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before walking into the room. She was a professional. She was an adult. She was rational, damn it! She could do this.

So what that she was about to see the guy that was the cause of her 2 week holiday far far away from here? She could handle it. Hermione quickly smoothed down the front of her skirt, drying her sweaty palms at the same time. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she made her way to the other side of the room and her seat at the table. That was ridiculous. Of course there were no eyes on her. For everyone else, nothing had changed. No one knew what had happened between her and him, and now no one would.

“Hermione!” Harry called out to her as he walked to the seat next to her. Pulling it out, he asked “You never answered my owl last night? How was your trip?”

Before she could answer, the door opened and she unintentionally turned to see who had walked in. Of course it was him. His eyes immediately went to hers. It didn’t make sense how he could look so good and confident, completely unfazed by what had happened between them. She’d taken two weeks away and she still felt shaky, no matter how unbothered she was forcing herself to look, and probably failing as evidenced by her shaking hands under the table and the feeling of blood rushing to her cheeks. The moment felt like it had lasted for ages, but she couldn’t look away now. Breaking eye contact seemed like admitting defeat, admitting that she was in the wrong when really it had been on him. The clearing of a throat behind him distracted him, making him glance back and that brief interruption in the stare gave Hermione the composure she needed to look down at the papers in front of her. Anything to avoid him. Still, he broke eye contact first. She’d won. She was right.“Hermione?” Harry asked again. Right, Harry was here and talking to her. She turned to him, giving him a quick smile. She could feel _his_ eyes on her. Why was he still looking? She’d won this round. He’d looked away first. Not that he cared. He’s the one who had ended it with her. Well she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of looking at him. Quickly thinking back to Harry had said, she remembered, right, vacation. How had her vacation been.

Giving a little laugh, she smiled a little brighter, and said maybe a touch louder than necessary ( _and if someone were to ask, no she didn’t do it in the hopes that he heard_ ) “Absolutely incredible, the sun, the beach, the waves, everything was amazing. I don’t think I’ve been that relaxed in a long time. We’ll all have to go together some day.”

It hadn’t been. She’d spent the first two days avoiding the public, with happy couples everywhere she’d went. They’d never been on vacation, but they weren’t that kind of couple, were they? They’d never had a relaxed sort of happiness, basking in each other’s presence. It was always a couple drinks at a bar followed by a quick hookup at one of their place’s, with the other sneaking out at early hours of the morning. Occasionally they’d spend a Saturday together, indoors, but it was always spent physically. They’d never shared quiet together.

“Hermione?” Shit, she’d let her thoughts wander again.

“Sorry Harry, I’m still in vacation mode.”

“Did you end up making any friends?” He asked. What? What an odd question to ask. The confusion must have shown on her face, because he ducked his head slightly, blushing. “That was from Gin, she kept asking this morning and now I was wondering.” Leaning closer to make sure they weren’t heard from everyone around, he whispered “She was worried because you know, he’s started seeing someone”

She could feel the room turn cold. She turned her head, shocked. He was sitting across the table from her, quietly speaking with the wizard seated next to him. Guess they really were out of sync, it had really felt like he was staring at her, like he used to when she’d walk towards him, him lying on the bed. His eyes would never leave her, as she’d slip off her shirt, then her pants, and as she’d reach forward on the bed, leaning down to kiss him. But now he had someone else to stare at, and he’d found her while she’d been on a beach alone, downing tequila shots like they were water, trying to forget him.

“Hermione?” She’d stopped listening to Harry again. She turned her head back to him, folding her arms tightly across her chest, in the hopes that the pressure would stop the sudden pain, though it did nothing to ease the feeling of being unable to breathe. “You knew Ron was seeing someone, right? Are you alright?” _Oh._ Ron. Of course. Why would Harry tell her about _him_? No one knew they’d even been together.

“No, of course I knew that. Sorry, Harry, you and Gin know Ron and I were never going to work out. Not like that.”

“Yeah, course I know that Hermione, it’s just Ginny, something about how you need to flaunt yourself with a new man to show you don’t care to the world?”

“Ok Harry, two things” she quirked her eyebrow at him, “Do you even know that means and you know Ron and I never dated, right?” Noticing the stare of the woman seated on her other side, she paused and leaned closer to him and whispered, “Actually wait, third thing, why are we talking about this at work?”

He flushed and mock glared at her, “Because you never answered my owls!”

“Right, well, we can talk later.” And it turned out to be perfect timing, with Kingsley walking into the room and towards his seat at the front.

* * *

The briefing was over relatively quickly. They’d been through the routine multiple times. Each team member knew their role and it was up to them to complete them, collaborating with each other when needed. Everyone at the briefing had been on the team for a while now and there was no for seen problems.

Hermione returned to her office on the 8th floor. Closing the door, she walked towards the windows and drew open the blinds and let the natural light fill the room, at least as natural as it could be with most the Ministry underground and the light produced by the weather team. With the door closed, she could relax, not having to worry about seeing him walking by or feel self-conscious with the thought that he could see her at any moment. She set the files down on the desk and sat down, prepared to compile the information from the scouting team in the Auror department. There had been sightings of the Lestrange brothers in Albania. She dragged her hand over her face. The war had been over for nearly 4 years and they still hadn’t finished rounding up the last of the Death Eaters.

Opening up the first file, she stared down at a picture of the brothers. Looking at them always brought back memories of the war and the night at Malfoy Manor when Bellatrix had used her left arm as a cutting board. Even now, the memory brought a twinge of pain where the scars were. She lightly covered them with her right hand, refusing to look down at them. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, shoving aside the memories and the nightmares they’d bring if she spent too long thinking about that night.

She opened her eyes and refocused on the pictures in front of her. They were blurry but it was definitely them. This wasn’t the first time they’d been spotted but they’d always managed to get away before. Not this time. She’d need to go back through the old cases and see what they missed. How had the team let them escape? It couldn’t happen again. She needed all the bits remaining from the war packed away, ideally in a small cell in a far corner of Azkaban for life with zero visitation.

The country had begun to heal after the war, and spirits may have raised to how it had been before Voldemort returned, but every time another Death Eater was caught, the media dragged the war back up. That always followed with a couple weeks of unease and fear at the idea that some of them still roamed free. But then the news would die down, and people would stop jumping at every loud noise or sudden burst of light. The cycle would continue to repeat however until the last Death Eater was caught.

Hermione couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a nightmare about the war. A year of war recovery sessions at Hogwarts followed by a couple years of therapy made them slowly disappear and while she’d never fully recover, she could say she was managing days if not weeks without panicking about the thought of war. It’s the only way she could be a part of this team dedicated to rounding up the last Death Eaters. That and also having the support of Harry and Ron at work.

Focusing on when and where exactly they’d been sighted, she conjured a map of Europe and posted it to her wall. Hermione grabbed a red pin from the cup on her desk and placed it on the spot in Albania where the picture had been taken. Prior to that, they’d been spotted near Hogsmeade shortly after the war, when her and the others who had missed their final year returned to Hogwarts to complete an 8th year and take their NEWTS.

Honestly, that’s where her problem had started. Maybe if they hadn’t been forced to return and work together on some interhouse unity as a recovery effort, she’d never have gotten to know people she’d never really known before. Of course, she always would have returned to Hogwarts, but maybe if it hadn’t been mandated _he_ never would have. Maybe he would have gone to work for some private company not requiring NEWTs or maybe not even worked. He was rich enough for that. Maybe he would have traveled and she’d never have to see him again, or at least not until they were much older and perhaps have cemented views that would never allow them to see each other as once classmates at Hogwarts, who simply nod their heads at each other as they drop their children off at the platform to board the Hogwarts Express. But no, interhouse unity was forcibly achieved and NEWTs were taken and passed and here she was working cohesively with many that had all passed the year she had. Furthering that unity, wouldn’t Headmistress McGonagall be proud.

To be completely fair, the interhouse unity program was probably the best thing that had happened that 8th year. After years of schoolyard conflict, followed by a few years of being on the brink of war and that final year of hell and death, sticking to the status quo of every house for themselves would have destroyed them. So the new extra common rooms for all the houses divided by year level, in addition to the house common rooms, helped foster a community between the age groups from a younger age. Those who had been at Hogwarts for a while needed more assistance with the addition of what were basically trust classes where they fostered relationships with those outside their house.

For the returning 7th and 8th years, those who had actively participated in the war and fought against one another, shooting spell after spell with the intent to kill? Those trust classes in the beginning had been silence and tension, waiting for someone to start the fight. Not a single student felt comfortable without their wand by their side. Bodies were angled towards those they least trusted. Basically, everyone kept an eye on the Slytherins. The classes started with unwilling participation, in activities that made everyone uncomfortable like trust falls, or a version of speed dating. It seemed childlike and ridiculous when most of them had lost a close friend in the months prior, and some had even taken a life. It seemed foolish that simply closing your eyes and falling into someone’s arms would somehow erase the years of prejudice and pain. And it didn’t.

It took months before people started to settle, with countless individual and group therapy sessions, before they got to how they’d been before the war. It took nearly half the year before anyone started to use the 8th year common room, Unsurprisingly, it had been Neville who’d first dragged himself and her there first. The next day, Padma showed up and the following Parvati sat next to her twin. A couple days after, Hannah Abbott was there and she saw Parvati smile for the first time, while braiding Hannah’s hair. Soon every 8th year from every house spent a couple hours every night in their common room. Every house, but the Slytherins.

It was Neville again who broke the barrier, dragging her once again. One night she found herself with him, standing outside a door with snakes mechanically slithering all over. He confidently went and knocked on the door, and she stood back and admired the strength he had. Daphne Greengrass opened the door, and you could see the confusion in her eyes about the two Gryffindors standing outside. Within minutes, Neville convinced her and she walked into the Slytherin common room, returning with Theo Nott. The odd foursome returned to joint common room and after a moment of silence, everything had returned to normal. Hermione and Neville sat with the Slytherin duo and within an hour, they were all working on their Transfiguration essays together.

That’s not to say it was easy. It was months again until the last member of the Slytherin 8th years joined them, and the months leading to it saw multiple arguments, and a few hexes thrown. There were accusations thrown constantly. How could there not when some had fought on a side dead set on wiping out the other purely on the belief that some were born better, were born pure? A couple of the 8th years took it upon themselves to become mediators. And maybe they were all just tired of fighting. Tired of spending energy trying to prove the other wrong when it hadn’t even been their war to begin with. One side had grown up in the situation where they had to fight to survive and the other seemingly being the oppressors but oppressed by a man and their parent’s antiquated beliefs. So yes, they were tired of fighting a war they didn’t choose. And so, while they were quick to jump to blame and fighting, there was enough of a sense of community formed that it would be settled quickly as well. Leaving Hogwarts, they continued that sense of community, often meeting up at a pub on Friday, forming their own joint common room outside of the castle. Even now, 3 years after graduating, on any given Friday night you could find members of that 8th year class grabbing a beer together, though friendships had grown and there were less arguments started and hexes thrown.

Finding herself lost in memories again, Hermione decided to take a break and get a cup of tea. Exiting her office, she turned left to head to Harry’s office where he was probably setting up a training schedule for his team to follow until they were ready to track and bring in the brothers. Thinking they could talk and perhaps convince him to tell Ginny she didn’t need to meet a man just because Ron was seeing someone, she wanted to check if he’d drop by their favorite café down the street with her. As she neared his office, she realized he had a visitor, hearing voices coming from the open doorway.

“So, where’s Weasley today? I didn’t see him at the briefing.” It was his voice. Not ready to see him again, let alone face him now, or today, or even this week, Hermione immediately stopped and quickly turned on her heels, heading to the elevator alone. On second thought, she would just bring back a cup of tea for Harry. But of course, luck wasn’t on her side and as the elevator doors closed, she saw him walk out of Harry’s office. At least she hadn’t had to talk to him.

* * *

Returning from the café, Hermione knocked on Harry’s door, walking in when she heard him call out, “Come in!”

“Hermione Granger, has anyone ever told you you’re the most brilliant witch in the world?” Harry asked, his crooked smile lighting up his face when he saw the cup in her hand.

“Only you, every time I bring you something to eat or drink,” she joked back, setting the cup on his table in front of him. “How’s the training plan coming along?”

“Fine, we can’t really work on any real plans of attack until Ron gets back and we hear more about where they’re hiding out, but I think we’re going to focus on basics for a few days, and get the new guys up to par with the rest anyways.”

“Where is Ron?”

“He called in sick this morning, thinks he caught something when him and Padma went up north last weekend.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Want to place bets on whether he jumped into a cold lake?”

“Oi! I resent that! You do something stupid one time and no one lets you forget!” Harry and Hermione both jumped, turning around and looking for the source of the voice. And there floating in the fire, looking annoyed, was the head of Ronald Weasley. “Here I come to see how my best friends are doing, faring at work without me, and they’re just cracking jokes.” He faked a pout. “Also, really that was Harry’s fault- he dared me!”

Harry stood up and joined Hermione at the other side of the desk, glaring back at his best friend and shot back, “Yeah and that was after you had me run through the halls shirtless with a purple pygmy puff fake tattooed on my chest.”

“Yeah and you can blame your girlfriend for that, she’s the one who told everyone I had one while you had the dragon. Had to even the playing field mate.”

“My girlfriend? MY girlfriend- she’s your sister!”

Hermione cleared her throat, “Moving on, how are you feeling Ron?”

“Other than the throbbing in my back from where my best friends stabbed me? Much better, I think it was just some food poisoning. Mum’s been stopping by every hour and forcing some broth into me, but I think I’ll be back to work in a day or two. I just wanted to see if you could send me the files for the new case. Who is it?”

She grimaced as she answered, “The Lestrange brothers.” Ron responded with a string of curses, and Harry nodded his head, agreeing entirely with the sentiments. “They’ve been spotted in Albania. I’ll make you a copy of the files and send them your way. We just need to hear back from the tracking team in the field if they’ve seen them again but I’m going to look into what the past files say. If you want to look into any weaknesses on our side that let them escape and I’ll look for a pattern, and see if I can find why they’re going where they go, or any connections they have in the area, then we can be ready by the time news returns from the team.”

"Yeah, brilliant, send them my way and I’ll have some stuff worked up by the time I get back,” Ron turned and looked over his head, “Mum’s here but I’ll talk to you lot soon. Also, Hermione, answer your owls!” And with that, he ended the floo call.

“I-” She shook her head.

Harry walked past her, ruffling her hair. She smacked his hand away.

“Really Hermione, you should answer your owls.”

“Harry James Potter, if you don’t shut up about the owls, I will do what Voldemort couldn’t and end you.” Glaring at him as he sat back in his chair laughing, she grabbed the cup of tea she’d brought for him and walked out. She heard the quick scooting of the chair.

Shutting the door behind her, she heard him yell out “Come on Hermione, it was a joke- leave the tea!”

* * *

Hermione stopped by the records department before heading into her own office, ready to dig through the old case notes. Walking in, she went to pull out her chair, eyes steady on the words before her, not noticing there was someone else in the room. She heard a quiet cough and instantly she had goosebumps up her arms. Frozen in her seat, she couldn’t bring herself to look up. She could sense him leaning against the wall to the side of her office, and she was shocked now that she hadn’t immediately noticed he was in here. She was frustrated with herself for not paying attention, though with him standing in her office, it’s not like she could have avoided him.

“Granger,” he said, his voice steady and strong. It sounded so familiar and made her heart beat faster, _(she was worried he could hear it from where he was standing but that wouldn’t be possible, would it?)_ but the reason for that is no longer familiar. Once upon a time, her heart would beat faster, ready for a fight, ready to throw words or punches or whatever needed to best him. Then it started to beat fast, because she knew that one drink would lead to another and it would end with them kissing against some wall in an alley, grinding against each other, before apparating to one of their apartments to end the night. Then it started to beat faster, when she’d hear his voice in her dreams and imagine spending quiet Sundays, reading books in bed with him ( _that last one was pure imagination, they never got to that point.)_ Now it beat faster, because she didn’t know how to act around him. She didn’t know anything about where they stood. It beat faster, because she knew if she looked up, he would be able to see the confusion and fear plain on her face. It beat faster knowing there was no avoiding this.

He was here, in her office, looking right at her. And she was a Gryffindor, war hero, Order of Merlin First Class, and the Brightest Witch of Her Age. She could do this. She took a deep breath, and put a professional smile on her face. She looked up. _Nevermind she couldn’t do this but it was too late for that wasn’t it_. She looked straight into his eyes, careful not to look at his gray shirt, perfectly tucked into black slacks. She kept her eyes away from his shining spotless dragon hide boots or the expensive watch on his wrist. She didn’t even look at the way his hair was lightly styled or that it looked like he’d been running his hands through it. No, she looked straight into his icy gray eyes, maintaining eye contact, as difficult as it was, because she couldn’t let him know she was more affected than he was. She took a brief moment to wonder how to respond. She wasn’t prepared to face him or talk to him. She’d thought two weeks would be enough but it wasn’t. But it was too late and she had to say something.

Taking a deep breath, she responded, “Hello Malfoy, how can I help you?” So it seemed like polite and professional would be the way to go about it.


	2. soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> let's talk about first times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to scarlet who bullies me everyday and to everythursday who scarlet loves more than she loves me and to our collective love of soulmates

She could remember the first time they had a “normal conversation.” It wasn’t before the war of course, back when they thought they were mortal enemies, as if 11 year olds could fully understand the meaning of the words, mortal or enemy. It wasn’t during the war, what with the expectations that they should be throwing spells to kill or at least incapacitate each other. It wasn’t during the summer spent rebuilding, when there were still clear divisions between those who fought on the right side and those who didn’t, even if they’d been found innocent of all charges, due to the fact they were children fighting a decades old war. 

But it was before he started coming to the joint common room. By then they’d already had a handful of conversations. No one else knew about them of course. 

_The first time she had a conversation with him, she’d escaped the grip of her friends one night and was sitting in a hidden alcove in the library, work spread out in front of her, but her mind focused on none of it as she stared out into the dark night, watching as stars appeared one by one to interrupt the inky blue of the sky. She was so focused that she didn’t hear him walk up towards her. She didn’t hear him quietly clear his throat, trying to get her attention. She didn’t hear him gently say her name “Granger.” It was when she felt a hand on her shoulder that her attention shifted from the window onto him._

_She looked up at him and it was only the knowledge that she was safe within Hogwarts that kept her from running away from him. He was wearing a gray shirt, buttoned up all the way and tucked into expensive looking black slacks. His hair was partially styled- freer looking than it had in first year, but slightly gelled, giving it an effortless yet put together look Ron had never managed (and Harry had never attempted with his hair that had a mind of its own). His wand was tucked into his front pocket and he was looking at her, his mouth moving. It was only when she heard her name repeated from his lips that she realized she hadn’t been paying attention to what he was saying._

_“Granger."_

_“Sorry Malfoy, my mind was wandering. What do you want?”_

_He smirked slightly at that, and just as quickly as the smirk had appeared, he let it fall from his lips._

_“Your mind must still be elsewhere- that’s probably the politest way you could have asked that.”_

_“I’ve always been polite, you on the other hand,” she responded, with no heat behind her words._

_“I resent that, I was raised a gentleman.”_

_She quirked her eyebrow._

_“I may have ignored some of the lessons over the years,” he conceded, a ghost of laugh echoing in his words._

_“I repeat, what do you want?” She asked, ending the weird interlude._

_“A quill.”_

_“A quill?”_

_“Yes Granger, a quill.”_

_“You want a quill from me?”_

_“Well, here’s where we find ourselves, it’s a Saturday night.”_

_“I know the day of the week, Malfoy.”_

_“This is the library, where students come to study, do their work, things such as that.”_

_“I know this is the library, Malfoy. I know we’re never been friends,” she paused on the word, “We’ve never been friendly, but surely you know I love the library.”_

_"Yes, well, most things done in the library require a quill.” He emphasized the word most. His tiny smirk was back. She ignored it._

_"Right, I know that, but how does your needing a quill relate to you needing a quill from me.”_

_"It may have escaped your notice, but most students don’t enjoy spending their Friday nights in the library, not when they still have Sundays to finish their work last minute. I, however, plan on beating you in exams, considering this is my last chance, and am therefore forced to spend my nights here. I broke my quill, and now require a new one, and with you being the only other student here, unsurprisingly, I’ve come to ask for you assistance.”_

_"You plan on beating me in our exams,” she responded, her voice flat with disbelief._

_"A long shot, I know, but it’s a worthy goal. Though you spending all this time studying makes it harder. Maybe you should do something else, a club? Gobstones? Or maybe this is your year to join the Quidditch team, Granger.”_

_She muttered under her breath._

_“Sorry I didn’t catch that?”_

_“I said,” she emphasized, “there’s too much to unpack here, but when have you ever seen me express a desire to play Quidditch.”_

_“You come to all the games.”_

_“My best friends are on the team, Malfoy.”_

_“Surely you’d enjoy playing with them- doesn’t the Saintly Trio always stick together.”_

_“And with that, this has gone on long enough.” She reached down into her bag and grabbed one of her spare quills and handed it to him, dismissing him as she picked up her book, ready to start reading._

_“Thanks Gran-” he stopped. His silence startled her as much as their conversation had. She couldn’t help but look at him. He was staring down at her book._

_“Is that Potions of the Future?” he asked, slight shock, or was that awe, in his voice. She looked down at the book she had been reading. _

_“Yes.”_

_“How did you get a copy? It’s not out till next year!” It was awe._

_“They sent me an advanced copy.”_

_“Granger, even I couldn’t get a copy, and the Malfoy name still means something.”_

_“It helps to be one of the saviors of the Wizarding World.” She made sure the sarcasm was clear in her voice._

_“Do they have the revised steps for the Draught of the Living Dead- I heard they had changed 2_ _of them.” She raised her eyebrow, once again taken aback by this entire encounter._

_“You’re interested in the revised steps.”_

_His cheeks turned a pale pink. “Potions is fun. I like it,” he said simply, trying to exude a confidence it was clear he wasn’t feeling._

And that was their first conversation- at least the starting of it. They ended up spending hours discussing potions and the best books, moving from the alcove to a table and then walking around the hallways after the library closed. Of course, they went back to avoiding each other after that night, but it had been the start. 

But just like the first time they really talked, she realized that he had been talking and she, once again, was lost in thought. And this time they knew each other well enough for him to recognize the look on face.

“Mind wandering, Granger?” He asked, looking like he wanted to smile, maybe laugh, but was just holding it in.

“Sorry. What is it you wanted?” 

“I can’t just come in to visit a friend?” _Friend._

“Is that what we are?” She finally looked straight at him. He looked a little shocked.

“I would have said we were friends for the past 5 years, if we’re being generous.” 

She wasn’t in the mood to be generous.

“You didn’t come here to visit a friend, Malfoy, what do you need?” She was tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up with a glass of red wine. 

“You’re right, but I’ll be sure to make future visits for that reas-”

“Don’t.” Now the shock on his face turned into hurt. She didn’t want that, right? He was right- they had one been friends. And even if that wasn’t what she wanted, all her friends were his and vice versa. She tried to fix it, slightly. “We are at work. I’d prefer to keep our social obligations out at the pub, or other social venues.” 

It looked like his mind was wandering now too. She wondered if it was wandering to the same place hers was. To the one time they’d hooked up in the very office they were currently in. To when he’d shown up with questions on a case they were working on but it had turned into the case lying forgotten on the floor and with him on his knees, between her legs while she sat on her desk. To when they’d hurriedly ripped off each other's clothes. To when she’d gasped his name as he bit her neck, pushing into her and filling her up completely. To when they had almost been caught by Harry, as he’d knocked on the door, and they rushed to throw their clothes back on and fix their hair, before opening the door and pretending they had been so caught up in their work that they hadn’t heard him. 

He cleared his throat. She flushed slightly. 

“Right, well, we can do that.” 

“Your question, Malfoy?” She really needed to get out of there.. 

“The case- do you know if Weasley is still plotting out the logistics of how we’re breaking the wards and getting in there or is it someone else I should liaise with?” That was it? He could have asked Harry about that. Didn’t he feel the awkwardness she felt? 

“Ron’s doing it. You can talk to Harry- he was filling Ron in earlier.” 

“Right. Ok.” Almost abruptly he turned and left the room. He’d been gone less than a second, because he was back and he smiled at her while saying, “See you tomorrow, Granger.” 

As many ways as she had pictured it, and she had pictured it going many ways in her tequila induced haze over her two weeks abroad (as embarrassing number of them included them returning to their unspoken friends with benefits status while caught up in the fits of passion), she hadn’t quite imagined their reunion going like this. 

* * *

The next day passed without a word from him. To be completely honest, she hadn’t even seen him, not that she’d stuck around looking for him. But this was normal. After receiving a case or updates on a long case, they all went their separate ways a couple days, working on their individual parts before bringing them all together to work out a plan of attack. 

Harry was busy training the team of elite aurors that would be there the day they went after the Lestrange brothers, hopefully for the last time. He had always been a natural leader- never needing to emphasize his role at the lead, but having a quiet confidence everyone looked up to. He had joined the aurors after completing their 8th year. It was shocking how well he did on his exams with nothing to distract them from Hermione’s study schedule for the trio (nothing like a giant snake roaming the walls or a magical tournament with a pale face slit nostril surprise at the end). But Harry wasn’t a junior auror for long. With his experience, he was quickly placed on the elite auror squad and then promoted to leading his own team. And maybe more than his leadership qualities, Harry was also a natural teacher. It was again his quiet confidence that made people listen when he spoke, though being the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, the savior of the wizarding world and all the other ridiculous nicknames probably also contributed to that. And so that’s how Harry had spent his Tuesday- focused on training and preparing his team. 

Ron was still sick but Harry had dropped off the files to him after work on Monday, and Hermione was keeping him up to date on her findings. After 8th year, he too had joined the aurors with Harry, but while Harry excelled in their field, Ron’s talents lay elsewhere. He was by no means a bad auror, he was actually quite good but it was quickly noticed how well he recognized patterns in the fights he’d been in. So while Ron still joined in when they had to apprehend people, he was switched into a role that allowed him to plan how exactly they would do that. In all honesty, that was probably what was going to help them catch the brothers this time. Ron had the details of the past attempts and was focused on determining their strengths and weaknesses and ensuring the elite team knew them. He and Harry would work together to form a plan of attack once they knew the details of when and where.

And they depended on her to know the when and where. And she’d have that for them. Once she managed to figure out what the hell the Lestrange brothers were doing. In the beginning she’d thought they were simply on the run, but then the places they were running to made her think. They made her worry. They were spotted in Albania, and the only time someone else had been spotted in Albania was Lord Voldemort when he’d gone there to find the Diadem to turn into the Horcrux. At first, she’d found the places the brothers had been spotted random but understandable- Borgin and Burkes, then Gringotts under disguise. They’d even been spotted in muggle London but for two individuals on the run, it wasn’t surprising they were willing to hide anywhere and also look for ways to pay for what they needed- she’d assumed they had been selling items to Borgin and Burkes or been to Gringotts to try to withdraw funds. But Albania was odd. They had no reason to pick Albania out of all the places and she couldn’t ignore the connection to Voldemort. And so it was up to her to figure out why and what. To figure out their current steps and their next ones so that they couldn’t escape again and if they were planning something, to stop it before it happened. After Hogwarts, she hadn’t been sure what she’d wanted to do. She remembered being young and stating before the war that she wanted to do some good in the world and that still remained, but the pathway to that good? She hadn’t quite figured that out. Joining the Ministry had never been part of her plan, but with the change in structure and those within it, she felt comfortable accepting a role within the Department of Magical Cooperation, and while she enjoyed working on policies that were meant to unite the British Wizarding World and also fix relations with other Ministries, when it was clear that there would be more work required to finally end the unrest and capture the last remaining Death Eaters, she’d temporarily transferred to the Law Enforcement department. While she technically wasn’t a part of the Department, she’d been there for 2 years and that was long enough that she was part of the team.

She’d often wondered if the war had gone on longer or if it hadn’t come to a head when they were so young, what each of their roles would have been. Would her and Ron still stood by Harry’s side every step of the way. Would they even have been allowed out to fight? Would they have been hidden? What would she have done? Would she had been assigned to researching ways to end the war? Where would Ron have been? Surely someone would have noticed his strategic brain? His ability to see different outcomes and they would have depended on him to figure out how to win different battles. Harry would have always been in the front lines at the end of it all- it was written in the stars. So would they have been split up? Each playing a different role that depended on their skill set? No, she didn’t believe that. As much as it was always an inevitability that Harry would finish the war, that he would be the one to win or lose it all for them, it was just as inevitable that next to him would be the two of them. It was the way it had always been and she was certain that in any timeline, it was the way it would have remained.

If soulmates did exist, she was convinced hers were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

* * *

It was Thursday before she saw him again, Wednesday having passed in the same manner as Tuesday. They had a follow up to the briefing on Monday, and this time she sat sandwiched between Ron and Harry before the meeting started. They were talking about the drop in Quidditch game they’d be playing on the weekend.

Using a bit of the money awarded to them after the war, the two of them had bought a patch of land that they set up as a Quidditch field. Maybe it was an unwise use of their money, but they were still young and with so much of their childhood taken away from them, they deserved to fulfil some of the fantasies they held when they were young and a personal Quidditch field was just that. It also helped that during the week the field was used by young children not yet at a Hogwarts age, with an instructor that taught them the game and held matches. A mini children’s league had started on their field and Hermione had donated some of her money to provide brooms for kids who were unable to afford their own. While the cause may not have seemed worthwhile to many, they’d learned how divides at a young age could turn into something bigger and this was another way to promote unity before they were sorted into different houses at Hogwarts and that allowed the sorting to be just a fun thing to unite members of a house rather than divide the students of Hogwarts.

So during the week, the children’s league used the field and on the weekend, there were a couple drop in games for the Hogwarts alumni. They had considered making an adults league in the future, but for now, they enjoyed the spontaneity of the teams formed, with teams formed from random drawings. Hermione sometimes went to the games as she had when they were in school, but it was more for the stands they’d set up with cushy seating the Hogwarts stands hadn’t had, and to spend time with her less Quidditch inclined friends. Luna was almost always there and it wasn’t abnormal to have her and Lee Jordan share announcing duties when they felt like it.

She usually sat next to Neville, with Daphne Greengrass joining them, and the trio would spend the hours discussing Herbology. After 8th year, Neville and Daphne had opened a greenhouse, with Neville focused on the growing the plants and Daphne focused on the business side, providing the plants to various potions shops and using a bit of the profits they received to donate quite a bit of their plants to St. Mungo’s for free to assist the in house potioneers. Neville and Daphne had bonded during their 8th year over their love for Herbology and when they graduated, Daphne had had the funds to open a greenhouse but hadn’t wanted to take on that endeavour alone and Neville had been the obvious partner. In their spare time, the duo had taken to researching new plant types in the hopes that they would find plants with properties that would assist in the development of new potions and better healing for those who had been affected by the war.

And that’s what Hermione spent her weekends at the Quidditch pitch doing- discussing any new findings with them. Well that and pretending to watch a bit of the game, while really trying to avoid making it obvious that her eyes were focused on a certain ex Slytherin seeker.

The same Slytherin ex seeker who had just walked into the room they were sitting in and sat in the seat next to Harry. The same Slytherin ex seeker, who then cut into the conversation with, “Excellent, we’re talking about Quidditch. Have you told Weasley about how I practically snatched the snitch from under your nose last weekend, Potter?” It seemed that no matter how many years passed, the Quidditch rivalry would remain as strong as always.

“You cheated!” Harry exclaimed, turning fully in his seat, ready to argue with Malfoy. Hermione tried to avoid looking at him, knowing he was probably smirking, and that smirk would make her feel things she was trying very hard to not feel.

“I think you’ll find, Potter, it was your fiancé who came up with that plan.” Oh he was definitely smirking. “Are you calling your fiancé a cheater?”

She could feel Ron laughing from her left as he said, “Gin will murder you if you suggest she cheated, Harry. Might want to take that back.” Ginny Weasley was now a household name as one of the best professional chasers but during the off season, you could find her playing Quidditch with all of them, though they usually added rules specifically for her to make it fair for all of them. One of the most frequent rules was every 5 minutes, Ginny had to step out of the game for the next 2, giving the other chasers a chance to play. “What did she do anyway?” Ron asked, his laugh finally subsiding as Harry reached around her to try to punch Ron on his shoulder. Hermione was forced to move and she turned her head towards Harry, her eyes meeting a pair of silver ones. She had been right. He was smirking but his eyes? They were warm and smiling, and he was looking at her. And she didn’t like it.

“She distracted me,” Harry replied, muttering, crossing his arms and looking down. Malfoy looked away, his eyes turning Harry as he raised his perfectly shaped eyebrow.

“You’re not going to tell them how?”

Harry flushed, “Malfoy, shut up.” Oh Merlin, Hermione could imagine exactly how Ginny had distracted Harry. In the few games Ron wasn’t there, Ginny was happy to resort to underhanded techniques, her favorite one being pretending to be too hot and removing her jersey right in front of him, flying around in a sports bra, which while it innocent enough considering many of the female players flew around in a sports bra when the game went for hours and it got hot out, it still distracted Harry and she knew it. So rather than using it as a method to keep her cool, she used it as a method to distract him when they were on opposing teams, and also when Ron wasn’t there, knowing he didn’t find it as funny as the rest of them. She was his little sister after all, and with only one sibling younger than him, he was more protective of her than the others.

Luckily for Harry, the meeting started and he could avoid the question. There were no new updates, with the brothers having disappeared after the spotting in Albania, but Hermione voiced her concerns about their movements being related to Voldemort and there were updates from other members on the efforts made on the ground to locate the brothers. Some aurors had been assigned to quietly interview members of the village where they were spotted, in the hopes that there was more information, but all that was found was the brothers were planning on going into the woods and with the woods spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometres, that wasn’t enough information to act on. It did support Hermione’s theory however, that whatever was going on was related to Voldemort. The question was how.

After the meeting, Hermione quickly packed up her bag, getting ready to return to her office and sort through the transcripts of the interviews, looking for any details that might provide more information. As she stood, Ron, Harry and Malfoy restarted the conversation of Quidditch. With no interest in the topic, she got ready to quickly escape, not wanting to be stuck near him or get drawn into getting lunch with the three of them which often happened after meetings like this.

“Granger!” she heard as she reached the door. So close. She turned around, trying to not let the disappointment show on her face.

“Yes, Malfoy?” she asked, looking as him as the trio of men looked back.

“Aren’t you joining us for lunch?” he looked at her expectantly.

“No, I have to sort through the interviews,” she tried to make her voice sound sorry.

“Aw, come on Hermione!” Ron added, “We’ve both just come back from holidays and we haven’t hung out yet- I want to know what you did while you were away.” She could picture the conversation. _Well Ron, I drank some tequila, cried on the beach, tried to forget about Draco Malfoy, all things you typically do on a tropical getaway._ Yeah, that would go over well.

“I can’t, Ron, the faster I get through this, the better chance we have for putting them away for good,” she replied, choosing not to go with the thoughts running through her mind.

“Granger, I can help you go through the interviews after lunch. I haven’t had much to do on the case yet, and I’ve already sorted out the international issues,” Malfoy firmly stated, interjecting her denials.

Malfoy had a weird role in their team. He was a specialist of sorts. While he focused especially on curse breaking and potions, he also assisted in getting access to things they normally wouldn’t have. Hermione had spent years forming connections internationally before she had transferred to the auror department but the Malfoy name did in fact still hold weight and he was able to get the British auror team permission to act in a legal capacity in Albania. While they could have gotten access eventually, his connections allowed it much quicker and that helped whenever they had a time sensitive case. So far however, he didn’t have to worry about any wards or cursed objects and hadn’t been doing much. In the past, he’d assisted Ron with logistics and Hermione with research, but things were different now. Did she really want to spend hours closed up in her office, with him? No. So she rejected his offer.

“That’s alright Malfoy, I’ve got a handle on it. I just can’t take the time to sit down at lunch with you all,” she replied politely.

“I’ll bring you something back,” he gave in, partially. Why was he doing this? She knew he didn’t feel the same way as her and they hadn’t been together so they hadn’t really broken up, but surely he could feel the tense air between them. Why wasn’t he avoiding her the same way she was trying to avoid him.

Keen not to draw attention to the fact that she was, in fact, trying to escape his presence, she responded with a simple, “Thank you.”

As she walked back to her office, she thought about the first time she’d seen him after Hogwarts. After they graduated, Hermione wasn’t sure who she would or wouldn’t see again. There was a part of her that knew she’d see them all in passing, but actually talk to them again? To sit there and play a game of chess or discuss a prank someone had played on someone else? She wasn’t sure.

So when Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan reached out to invite them all to their housewarming, she immediately said yes. It had been months since they’d left Hogwarts and since then, she’d seen her closest friends but had been missing the larger group hang outs. She’d gotten close to so many in that final year, like Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones and even Theo Nott, and while she’d been meaning to owl them to catch up, they’d all been distracted by figuring out what their lives meant now that they no longer had classes to attend or anything holding them back, and so they’d all lost touch.

But now, with this housewarming as a reason for them to all get together again, Hermione had been looking forward to reconnecting with her newer friends. She’d arrived a little late, having been caught up finishing an assignment at work. She remembered being able to hear the music and laughter through the door and the cheers of “Hermione!” or “Granger!” when she walked in. That filled her with a warmth. Sometime during those evenings in the common room, they’d all become a family and she’d missed that. She had immediately been handed a drink by Dean and was drawn into a hug, before being released and dragged into a conversation with Neville and Hannah. She couldn’t remember now what they had talked about but she could still remember the pure joy that filled her. This is what they had fought for.

It was much later in the night when she saw Draco Malfoy. She had headed into the kitchen, looking to grab a glass of water, all the mixing of wine and butterbeer and vodka was messing with her head. He had been in the kitchen, pouring some firewhiskey into a few glasses. She remembered him looking up, his eyes a little glassy but him still managing to maintain his composure as he said “Granger! How’s Hogwarts favorite bookworm?” He had been smiling as he said it.

She remembered being a bit surprised by his friendliness- they were what she’d call acquaintances but by no means, friends but she had smiled back and responded with something along the lines of him having no right to call her a bookworm when he had been in the library as often as her. They had talked a couple more minutes before Harry had wandered in, looking for Malfoy and the firewhiskey Malfoy was meant to bring back to him and a few others. Hermione went and got her water and then wandered back into the party. She remembered talking to Parkinson about the dress she was wearing- fashion was always a passion for Pansy, and alcohol made the Slytherin princess a little warmer.

The rest of the night passed in a blur, but it was the start of it all. It started with more housewarmings as people moved out of their parent’s homes or moved in with their partners as Dean and Seamus had, and when the housewarmings ended, then came the invitations to check out new clubs or pubs that were opening before they settled at just meeting at the Leaky Cauldron every weekend.

It took a little longer before she started considering Draco Malfoy a friend, and a little longer before they had started their drunker interludes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this! please leave a comment or hmu @barnespadfoot on twitter or @veriteserum on tumblr if you want to bully me with scarlet so chapter 3 doesn't take as long

**Author's Note:**

> Anyways, please comment below what you think or come talk to me @barnespadfoot on twitter or @veriteserum on tumblr. Hope you all enjoyed it!


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